Briefs

Local and VCU

Altria net income rises on higher prices, cost cuts

Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc.’s first-quarter net income increased 15 percent in on lower costs and higher prices, even though it sold fewer cigarettes.

The owner of the nation’s biggest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, said today that it earned $937 million, or 45 cents per share, for the period ended March 31. That’s up from $813 million, or 39 cents per share, last year.

Excluding one-time items, earnings were 44 cents per share, matching analyst estimates.

Net revenue excluding excise taxes fell less than 1 percent to $3.94 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $3.9 billion, according to FactSet.

The company based in Richmond, said cigarettes sold fell 6.4 percent to 31.9 billion compared with last year’s first quarter. Adjusted for seasonal variations, volume declined 5 percent, higher than Altria’s industry estimate of a 4 percent decline.

Altria said its top-selling Marlboro brand lost 0.5 points of market share to end up with 42.2 percent of theU.S. market. Its other brands, including Virginia Slims, Parliament and Basic, also lost ground.

Cigarette revenue excluding excise taxes fell less than 1 percent to $3.4 billion during the first quarter, even as it raised prices

Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Richmond federal jury hears $20 million Botox suit

A Fredericksburg man is suing the maker of the drug Botox for more than $20 million, claiming injections to relieve writer’s cramp in his right hand left him brain-damaged and totally disabled.

A jury began hearing Douglas Ray Jr.’s lawsuit against Allergan Inc. in federal court in Richmond on Tuesday. The trial is expected to last up to two weeks.

Ray claims Allergan promoted the use of the wrinkle-smoothing drug for treatments not approved by theFood and Drug Administration, including hand tremors and writer’s cramp. The 65-year-old alleges that he had a severe immune reaction to the drug, resulting in a brain injury that has left him fully dependent on others for his care.

Allergan has denied responsibility for Ray’s condition.

Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

VCU Police announce new substation at MCV

VCU Police Chief John Venuti on Tuesday unveiled a police substation on the university’s medical campus.

Venuti said four officers will work out of the new substation, located at the Virginia Mechanics Institute at 1000 E. Marshall St., and when the officers are away from their office, people can speak with student-affairs employees inside the building during business hours.

A call box is on the front of the building for after-hours emergencies.

Venuti said the substation’s location makes sense because of expanding medical programs and services in the area.

“We wanted to have a very visible and accessible location,” he said.

VCU police also released a new way to report crime tips to the department. They can be texted to 274637 by typing a message that begins with the word “vcutip.”

Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

National and International

Day of remembrance: 1 year after Gulf oil disaster

Relatives of some of the 11 men who died aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig are flying over the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, back to the epicenter of the worst offshore oil spill in the nation’s history.

Meanwhile, on land, vigils were scheduled in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to mark the spill.

On the night of April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon, a rig owned by Transocean Ltd., burst into flames after drilling a well for BP PLC, killing 11 workers on or near the drilling floor. The rest of the crew evacuated, but two days later the rig toppled into the Gulf and sank to the sea floor. The bodies were never recovered.

Over the next 85 days, 206 million gallons of oil — 19 times more than the Exxon Valdez spilled — spewed from the well. In response, the nation commandeered the largest offshore fleet of vessels since D-Day, and BP spent billions of dollars to clean up the mess, saving itself from collapse.

Natalie Roshto, whose husband Shane Roshto died on the rig, posted a message on Courtney Kemp’s Facebook page on Tuesday evening: “Can’t believe it’s been a year.. It has brought a lot of tears and a great friendship I’m Soooo thankful for.. We are a strong force together!! Love u sista.”

In a statement, President Barack Obama paid tribute to those killed in the blast and thanked the thousands of responders who “worked tirelessly to mitigate the worst impacts” of the oil spill.

Brief by The Associated Press

Roomate charged with hate crime in NJ suicide

A former Rutgers University freshman was indicted Wednesday on a hate crime charge after allegedly using a webcam to spy on a same-sex encounter involving his roommate, who committed suicide shortly afterward in a case that started a national conversation on bullying.

The indictment charges Ravi with bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, witness and evidence tampering, and other charges stemming from the suicide of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi in September. The indictment said charges against Wei would not be presented to the grand jury “at this time.”

Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River shortly after authorities say Ravi and Wei used a webcam to peek at his liaison. Lawyers for Ravi say the webcam stream was viewed on only a single computer and did not show the men having sex.

The indictment says Ravi targeted Clementi and invaded his privacy knowing that Clementi would be intimidated because of his sexual orientation.

According to the indictment, Ravi deleted a Twitter post letting others know how they could view a second encounter involving Clementi and replaced it with a false tweet; deleted text messages sent and received by witnesses; and gave false information to police — all actions intended to mislead investigators.

If convicted of the most serious bias charge, Ravi could face five to 10 years in prison.

Brief by The Associated Press